Insulation for rail-joints.



' H. F.'ROACH, INSULATION FOR RAIL JOINTS. AIPLICATION FILED JAN. 11. 1911.

1,258,251. Emma; 5,1918.

HARRY F. ROACH, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

INSULATION FOR RAIL-J OIN TS.

Lassen.

Original application filed January 11, 1917, Serial No. 141,821.

Specification or Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 5, i918. Divided and this application filed January 11. 1917. Serial No. 141,822.

To all whom 2'27 may concern.

Be it known-that I, HARRY F. Boson, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Insulations for Rail-Joints, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to insulated rail joints,and particularly to the insulation plate of the joint to prevent said sole plate" iroin shifting into an improper position.

Another object is'to provide insulating members for the side portions of a rail joint which are so constructed that the rails positioned in the joint can expand and contract Without causing said insulating members to be cracked or broken by the bolts which extend transversely through the "rails and through the side members of the joint.

Figure. l of the drawings is a side elevational view, partly broken away, of a rail joint equipped with insulating members con-- structed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of said joint. I

Fig, 3 isa perspective view of the sole plate.

Fig. i is a perspective view of one of bolt insulating members; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view, illustrating the two side insulating .members that insulate the rails from the side portions of the joint.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate the preferred form of my inventiom-A designates a metal member that is provided with a base plate 1 that supports the rails and with a side portion 2 that extends longitudinally along one side of the rails. A member B that is arranged on the opposite side of the rails cooperates with the member A. to hold the rails in longitudinal alinemeat with each other, and bolts or other suit- :lblo fastening devices 3 pass transversely the the webs of the rails, so as to hold said elements inoperative position with relation to each other. v

A sole plate or base plate C of insulating j material is arranged between the base plate '1 andthe base flanges of the rails, and two ranged between the and B ofthe joint that extend longitudinally of the rails at the joint. The sole plate C is also provided.

at its ends with 'downwardly-projecting flanges 6 that lap over the ends' of the side insulating members D and D are ax rails and the portions 2' plate 1, as shown in Fig. l, and thus prevent V the sole plate irom assuming an angular position on the base plate. It is immaterial how the pocket in the member A is formed, but when the joint comprises a member A having a portion 7 that laps over the base flanges oi the rails, asshown in Fig. 2, so as to prevent the ends of the rails from moving upwardly oil" a tlat'rail supporting surface 8 at the center of the base plate, as described in my pending application previously referred to, said pocket can be formed by said overlapping portion 7 and by lugs 5 at the ends of the same that constitute the end Walls of the pocket,

The side insulating members I) and i) are so formed that they prevent any parts of the members A and B from contacting with the rails, the abutting ends er said rails being separated by the usual insulating end post (not shown). A vertically-dis posed. portion 9 of each of said members which is positioned opposite the webs of the rails is provided with-elongated bolt openings 10 through which the bolts 3 pass, said bolt openings 10 being long enough so that the rails can expand and contract without causing the bolts 3 to exert pressure on the members D and D, and thus possibly break or crack said mci nbers. The bolts 3 are insulated from the members A and B of the joint b y means of tubular-sln1pcd insulating devices 11 arranged in the bolt holes in the moral as A and B and provided at their outer ends with latei'ully-pi'ojeeting flanges or head portions 11* that insulate the heads and nnts on the bolts from the members A which is adapted to cooperate with a means on the joint that prevents the sole plate from moving longitudinally of the joint, and downwardly-projecting flanges at the ends of said sole plate that lap over the ends of h the base plate on which the sole plate rests.

2. An insulating member for rail joints,

consisting of :1 sole plate provided at one edge with an upwardly-projeating flange which is adapted to cooperate with a means on the joint that prevents the sole plate from moving longitudinally of the joint.

HARRY F. ROACH 

